


Stay

by LadySalamander



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Fluff, Holidays, M/M, Mutual Pining, ignis meets the fam, small Ignis whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:42:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28391106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadySalamander/pseuds/LadySalamander
Summary: Ignis just wants Gladio to stay for good this time.2020 Secret Santa gift for ilRae / Tigris_Lilium
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

Snow fell fast and heavy on Insomnia.

"We had to get Noct home," Ignis insisted. "It's just a little damp, Gladio. I'll survive."

"Just come inside," Gladio argued. "Let me get you like, a towel or something at least. And don't give me damp, Ignis, you fell _right_ into the canal, everyone saw it."

Ignis' lips tightened. Yeah, that was the problem, everyone saw it. Everyone at the holiday market. Prince Noctis, his friend Prompto, the crownsguard assigned to keep an eye on them. Gladiolus. Ignis had never been inside the Amacitia's house before, and he didn't want to male his first impression looking like a drowned cat.

Ignis shivered; the car was warming up, but his jacket wasn't drying as quickly as he would have liked. There was also the matter of the weather, growing worse by the minute. Ignis had just graduated to his full license, and he wasn't used to driving the boxy citadel cars on slippery city streets. It would take time to get back to his uncle's place safely. He worried his lip and eyed the snowy distance between the car and the Amacitia's front door. He should just go in. Gladio’s father knew who he was, the staff would know someone was arriving to drop Gladiolus off. It wasn’t as if Ignis were by any means _unwelcome_.

Ignis glanced back out at the snow, then back at the house. Between him and the door was Gladio, and his eyes were warm.

"Fuck it," said Ignis, turning off the car. He wrenched himself from the driver's seat and out into the cold, shutting the door with a snap before he could talk himself out of it. Gladio hustled him through the front door and parked Ignis at the end of the entrance hall.

"Get the wet stuff off," he instructed. "I'll, uh, I'll get you like a towel for your hair and a dry coat to get you home."  
Then Gladio was gone, leaving Ignis to stand, dripping on the hallway runner. He felt more than a little awkward, standing in someone else’s home in his oversized winter coat and knit hat. It was a gift from Noctis, and it had a green pom pom on it. Ignis was used to the dwellings of the well to do - he did work at a palace, after all - but at work he knew he had a place and a reason. Here, here he felt on unsteady ground. He reminded himself again that he had every good reason to be there, but being at Gladio's house felt like more than that. Ignis, in his damp, puffy winter coat and fur topped boots and green pom pom in the entryway to the Amicitia's pristine sitting room, felt today of all days like he was making a poor impression. And to top it all off, his glasses were fogging up. He took them off and rubbed them irritably with his mitts, putting them back on to a slightly blurry but ultimately clearer world, one which included a young girl standing in the doorway. Ignis smiled and tried not to look too much like an idiot.

“Heey,” said Gladio’s little sister, taking a step forward and draping herself over the back of the couch. She lifted herself and kicked her feet in the air. “I know you! You’re Prince Noctis’ stuffy butler! Poo, and Gladio said he had a hot date today.”

Ignis flushed quite a bit quicker than he would have liked.

“Oh did he,” he replied, trying to keep his voice neutral.

“Yeah, but if _you’re_ here, that means you’re doing stuff with the prince.”

“Is that such a bad thing?”

“Gladdy needs to get out,” Iris groaned, draping herself fully and dramatically across the upholstery. “He needs to meet people! At this rate he’s going to end up marrying someone from the crownsguard.

“Wasn’t your-” Ignis caught himself, swallowing the last of the sentence. Wasn’t your mother crownsguard? She was, and it had killed her. Left one day never to return home.

“Perhaps you’re right,” Ignis replied. 

“Yeah dad, seee?” said Iris, addressing a point somewhere behind Ignis’ shoulder. Ignis jumped and spun, facing the king’s shield himself in the hall.

“My lord,” he said, composing himself enough for a polite little bow.

“Pfft, you call Gladio that too?”

“What?” Ignis replied, still off guard.

“I’ve heard the maids at the citadel. My Lord this and Lord Amicitia that.”

Ignis blushed. He called the prince’s shield a lot of things. Hey you, Gladio, dumbass (endearingly). Noct had a lot more names. The thought of calling him by his title was alien to Ignis; Gladio was just too good of a friend for that. But he certainly didn’t want to admit as much to Gladio’s father, the respected Shield of the King, Protector of the Line of the Lucii…

He was wearing jeans, Ignis realized. It was a belated, intrusive thought. Jeans, slippers, and an untucked blue button down. Ignis opened and closed his mouth a few times, not unlike a fish, glancing between Iris and her father, searching for an appropriate answer to Iris’ question, some clue, some hint, as to the etiquette required. He didn’t have a lot of formal conversations, or conversations at all, with the eldest Amicitia, and when he did he usually referred to Gladio as “The Prince’s Shield” or, yes, Lord Gladiolus. But that was work, that was formality. This was …

What _was_ this?

Iris giggled.

“Nah, I heard Ignis call him an “absolute nut canoe” the other day, but he doesn’t want to admit it to your face.”

Clarus shrugged.

“He probably deserved it.”

“I - ahem,” Ignis cleared his throat. “Gladiolus is a fine name on its own.”

“I liked nut canoe,” said Gladio, re-appearing on the stairs with a bundle of towels and an old coat. What was it with this family and their ability to sneak up on him? “Makes my life sound exciting, like I did something interesting.”

“Yeah like go on dates,” said Iris. Suddenly her eyes widened and she flipped over to get a better look at Gladiolus. “Unless you actually _did_ go on a date with Ignis!?”

“Mm,” Gladio replied. “Shepherding the prince, better known as one of the most romantic activities available in Insomnia.”  
It had actually been Ignis’ idea to go to the outdoor holiday market, supported enthusiastically by Prompto, which was usually a sure way to get Noct on board with pretty much anything. He felt a little guilty because this meant Gladiolus had to come along too, but things had been going pretty well until Ignis took a slip and slide down the embankment.  
While they were chatting, the king’s shield moved to the window and peeked out between the curtains. He frowned.

“Are you okay to drive in this, Ignis?”

“I should be fine. Just have to take it slow, right?”

“Mm. It’s starting to get dark, too. Maybe you should stay here tonight instead. The roads are only going to get worse.” Gladio’s eyes brightened.

“Yeah! Come on Iggy, slumber party!”

“Oh no my lord, I couldn’t intrude -”

“Call your uncle,” Clarus went on. “I’m not going to risk you hurting yourself when there’s something I could do about it.”  
Ignis figitted. Gladio beamed. But what about school? What about Noctis?

“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” said Clarus. “I can call the citadel for a car, if you prefer.”

“Nah, come on, stay!” Gladio insisted

“Alright,” Ignis relented, digging for his phone. “I wouldn’t want to inconvenience anyone else at this time. Hello, uncle? Yes, I’m fine. No, I’m at the Amicita house. Yes, it’s getting bad. Gladiolus’ father has offered to put me up for the night.” A pause. “I wouldn’t worry, they’ll probably close the schools tomorrow anyhow. Okay. yes uncle, I will. Goodbye now.”

Ignis closed his phone and smiled. 

“My uncle extends his thanks, Lord Amicitia.”

“Sweet!” Gladio crowed. “Come on, let’s find you some PJ’s and then we can make cocoa and popcorn.”

“We’re not _ten_ , Gladio.”

“I take offense to that,” said Iris.

“Well what the heck are we gonna do?” asked Gladio. “Homework?” Ignis looked at him. Gladio’s face fell. “Oh gods you really were thinking of doing homework, you said yourself school would probably be closed tomorrow. Ugh!” Gladio rolled his eyes dramatically. “One movie, one movie okay? And homework isn’t an excuse not to have snacks.”

“I’ll concede to that,” Ignis agreed.

“Hopeless,” sighed Iris, sliding off the couch. “Make me a hot cocoa too. With -”

“Yeah yeah, I know, extra whipped cream.”

“Me too, please,” said their father.

“What, you want extra whip too?”

“Sure, why not, since you’re offering.”

“Great, fantastic. Ignis, let me show you to the guest room. Take a shower or something and warm up while I make all this damn cocoa.”

They settled on the couch with their snacks once Ignis was showered and warmed up, one boy on each arm, legs stretched out in the center. They watched one movie, and then started another because Ignis decided he was too comfortable to get up and go out into the cold to fetch his laptop. At some point Gladio got up and returned with blankets, and by the second act of the third film they were both drifting off to sleep, legs tangled in the center of the couch. Soon enough they would be back to their busy citadel lives, but for now they were cozy and warm while the snow blew away outside.

Ignis thought, with a new sort of affection, that he could get used to this.


	2. Chapter 2

“Spill it, buddy. What crawled up your ass and died?”

Now, Ignis Scientia was not an easy man to intimidate. 

Commodore Aranea Highwind intimidated him.

“I have no idea what in the world you’re going on about,” Ignis replied, folding his arms across his chest. She had him pinned - metaphorically - with hands on hips against the wall next to the men’s restroom at the gas station. Ignis didn’t want to deal with this. They needed to get a move on.

“Don’t play pretend with me.”

“We’re on a schedule,” said Ignis, curtly. 

“Why are you so eager to be on your way?”

“I’m not eager-”

“Then take it easy.”

“There are people waiting for our return!”

“We’ll get there in the same amount of time whether you unclench your ass or not.”

Ignis glowered. So did Aranea, but her glower made him feel like he had his arms pinned behind his back. 

“Is it the other guy?” she asked.

“What?”

“Your buddy who ran off on his errand.”

“What about him?”

“You’re worried about him.”

“Of course I’m worried about him, he’s my friend!”

“He’s your friend and he wouldn’t even tell you why he left.”

Ignis could feel his eyes narrowing. Like chips of ice, Gladio had once said. When he was mad his gaze was like chips of ice. Aranea was unfazed. 

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” said Ignis.

“It’s my job to see you return in one piece,” Aranea reminded him. “And you’re ripping through monsters without any care like they’ve personally offended you.”

“Like I said -"

“You’re the tactician,” she went on. “You know these things can’t be rushed with brute force.”

“And when they can for the sake of expediency.”

“The other two think the prince’s shield is off doing drills with his mentor, out in the desert balancing rocks on his head or some shit,” said Aranea. “That doesn’t sound very worrying to me.”

“I’m glad that’s a load off your mind, then. Now, if you please, I must return to the car.”

But Aranea didn’t budge. Instead, she pressed her fists harder into her hips and leaned forward, apparently trying to peer into his soul.

“I was wrong,” she said at last. “He did tell you. And what he’s doing is a lot more dangerous than some special training.” Ignis said nothing.

“You’re worried there’s a chance he might not be back.”

Worried? Of course Ignis was worried. Worried Noct might be without a shield, their little group without its defender. Worried about the look on Iris’ face when they had to tell her. Worried about the look he himself might bare. Worried about the fact that, without Gladiolus around, a whole seemed to have opened in his life, a hole that could be filled by anointing a new shield, a hole that kept him awake at night, tense in the absence of Gladio’s deep, gentle snores. Worried about how, not so deep down, he was desperate for Gladio’s safe return.

But, of course, instead of saying all that, he said,

“Gladio is a good friend, and he doesn’t want to worry the other two too much, especially Prince Noctis. His highness dislikes the thought of others endangering themselves for his sake.”

“You’re angry at him, too.”

“I .. am.”

“But you’d be angier if he didn’t tell you.”

“Yes.”

Finally, Aranea’s stance relaxed. She nodded.

“Okay. I think I get what’s going on here.”

“I don’t see that there is anything going on that you need to be concerned about.”

A smile tugged the corner of Aranea’s mouth up across her face. 

“He didn’t ask permission from his prince, the man he’s sworn to protect, but he asked permission from _you_? You're the one who let him go.”


	3. Chapter 3

Snow fell on Lestallum. It blew in from the north, thick and grey. It melted when it came in contact with the warm city, leaving behind ash on the roofs and in the streets. Lestallum was quiet - snow brought the phage into the city, driving the people indoors. Ignis wrapped a scarf around his face and followed the muffled sounds of Talcott’s footsteps through the streets. Usually he didn’t like it when Talcott held his hand like this (so to speak), but today he was too tired, too sore, so he let the younger man lead him home. Talcott said goodbye in the hallway, while Ignis tried not to fumble with his keys and look pathetic. Blind with a broken arm, half his connection to the world truncated, and still with no more information than when they had set out. Ignis tried to distract himself. He thought about dinner, realizing with a sigh that, in their eagerness to finally get home and rest, he and Talcott had not thought to swing by the market. 

And when the door opened he heard … noises

There were four people with their lives tangled up together in this two bedroom apartment, and the other four in the apartment across the hall. It was almost never all four at once - they cycled in and out, passing through and around each other’s lives as work and hunts took them to and from the city. One of them would come home tired and worn, and a few days or sometimes a few hours later another one would leave, marching back out into the pitch black wilds Lucis had become. If the apartment was full one of them might be sleeping on the couch, sometimes someone entirely new camped out there for a few days - a hunter, a crownsguard, Cindy, or god’s forbid Dave, because Dave meant the dog would be there too. Ignis knew Prompto was in Hammerhead, while Iris was scouting with Cor along the coast, trying to find a way back into Insomnia. 

“Oh shit,” said an unfamiliar voice. Ignis knew Gladio was still in Lestallum, should be until tomorrow based on the last time they had talked. Did he have somebody over?

"Hello?" Ignis replied.

"Iggy?" Said Gladio, his voice coming from the vicinity of the bedroom. "You're home early - astrals! What happened?"

"Nothing. Just, a broken arm and a lot of bruises."

"Just a bruise?" The unfamiliar voice scoffed. "You look like you went on a hot date with a pillowcase full of bricks."

Ignis touched his tender cheek self consciously.

"It looks worse than it feels."

"Then it must feel like shit! You practically match the sky with that bruise."

Ignis stiffened. Not that bad, not that bad of course Talcott would downplay it like that. 

"Anyway," said the unfamiliar man, "your, uh, friend looks like he could use some R&R. Are you done packing? If we leave for HQ now we can be out on the road within the hour."

Right. A fellow crownsguard then. Well, Gladio was a big boy and he could go do extra work if he liked. His coworker was right. Rest and relaxation. The silence that accompanied it.

"I think maybe I'll meet you guys there with C Group like we planned," said Gladio. "I get the feeling I should stick around here tonight."

"I'm fine, Gladio, really. You have work to do. There are people waiting for you."

In truth, Ignis wanted to beg him to stay. He wanted to beg him every time. He tried not to think about it too hard, tried not to read into it too much. He was stressed and depressed, they all were. Gladio had too much important work to do, too many people under him to worry about without including Ignis in the mix. 

"They're not expecting me until tomorrow anyway. It's fine, Igs, it really is."

There were some shuffling noises - maybe the crownsguard guy was looking at Ignis, maybe there was something he wanted to add. In the end, all he said was,

“Your call man.” And then to Ignis, as he passed out the door, “Feel better soon.” The door clicked shut behind him, leaving silence.

“Did they give you painkillers?” asked Gladio. Ignis didn't answer right away.

“They offered,” he said quietly. Gladio sighed as if he had expected as much. Painkillers were scarce - no doubt Ignis had figured they could be put to better use.

"Well … how about an ice pack? And then maybe we should break out the good stuff, eh?" Said Gladio, by which he means Ignis' ever dwindling stash of Ebony.

"Thank you Gladio, but I’m too cold for an ice pack, and if it's all the same," said Ignis, "I think I'd much prefer a lie down.”  
"Did they feed you at the hospital at least?" 

"I've eaten a little. Really, Gladio, I am just tired." How ungrateful he must sound, but it was the truth. Ignis dropped his gear without ceremony in the main room, and made his way by memory to the creaky old bed. Well, it beat a military cot, it beat the ground, and the sheets smelled fresh. And still, Ignis could not sleep. Maybe there were too many aches, maybe he was still keyed up from the stress of their trip home. Maybe he hadn’t had enough to eat as he thought. So he lay there, and listened as Gladio puttered around the kitchen. He heated something on the stove, by the sounds of things, got out some bowls, maybe mugs, slid something into the microwave and …Make … popcorn? Ignis frowned. They had popcorn? When the hell was the last time he’d laid his eyes on a popcorn, let alone the kind made for the microwave?

“Is that popcorn?” he called. “What are you doing?”

“Oh good, you’re still awake.” Gladio came into the room. “I’m breaking out the good stuff. Make room.” He sat down on the bed and nudged a warm mug into Ignis’ hand. It smelled like hot cocoa. Between them Gladio set the bowl of popcorn.  
“What is this,” said Ignis, “a slumber party?”

“Why not? It’ll be nice to do something fun while we’re both here for once. Relax, okay? I’ll put on a movie, I’ll be your described video.”

The big bedroom they were currently in, the one occupied by Ignis, Gladiolus, five hundred pounds of camping gear, twice as many books and enough weapons to outfit a modestly budgeted historical epic, somehow also managed to contain the largest bed between the two apartments. It was a queen, and, unfortunately, also the only bed in the room. Most of the time one of them would have it alone; either the other was out, crashing at HQ, or someone else was gone long enough that they would take another bed. But on the rare nights of a full house, Ignis and Gladiolus shared. Ignis hardly admitted it even to himself, but in these tumultuous, stressful times, he always slept best on those nights. Solitude was difficult to come by in overcrowded Lestallum, but Ignis liked it when the others were around. He liked their quiet background noise, the sense of grounding it gave him in his vast, dark world. Yet even then, in the night (so to speak) the dark crept in on him, the solitude invaded, wormed its way between his ears, and he couldn’t even open his eyes to orient himself in the reality around him. But Gladio - Gladio filled that void. His weight, his warmth, his deep, even breaths pushing back at the dark, reminding Ignis that he was not suspended alone in a lightless void. Some mornings - mornings? - sometimes, when the clock ticked over into the AM and Ignis woke first, he would lay there and listen to Gladio, and wonder what it would be like if he roused him with a kiss. But he never took that leap, he never did.Their lives were always tangled in things bigger than Ignis' desires. Gladio would wake, and Ignis would let him go.

But tonight, a small scrap of night in the long darkness, Gladio had stayed, and Ignis didn't even need to beg.  
He tried not to think about it too hard. He should just focus on what he had now, not what he could lose. With Gladio next to him everything would be okay, if just for the time being. He would heal.

Ignis' began to drift sleepily. He listed sideways, his head leaning on Gladio where he lost the movie, instead lulled by the steady rise and fall of his warm shoulder. 

Ignis slept well that night.


	4. Chapter 4

Snow fell on Insomnia, clean and gentle, sparkling white in the sun.

For the first time in a long time, Ignis was hosting new years. An absolute banger, that's what Prompto had promised everyone. _Hors d'oeuvres_ for days, followed by an elegant dinner, an expert wine pairing and an unforgettable dessert.

"A fantastic idea!" Ignis had agreed. "You will help me prepare the food, right?"

Prompto ended up doing the decorating instead, while Ignis and Gladio measured and chopped and prepped away in the kitchen. Ignis didn't even need to ask Gladio for a hand - he just, showed up. Gladio was over a lot these days; Ignis reckoned he ate dinner at Ignis’ more often than he did at home. Ignis never had any complaints. At first moving back to Insomnia had been something like a novelty - so much privacy, so much space! But he missed the everyday closeness of other human beings.

Or, you know, one particular human being.

People in general, but mostly one person.

When all was said and done, when all the food was prepped, stashed away for the next day, and Prompto had said his goodbyes, Gladio collapsed on the couch with a well earned sigh of relief. 

"Wine?" Asked Ignis.

"Please."

Ignis grabbed glasses, a bottle, and something Gladio didn't expect - a package from the closet.

“I have something for you,” said Ignis, after carefully pouring the wine. “An early gift.”

“Aw, Igs, I’m a big boy, I can wait.”

“I know. I know, but it’ll be busy here tomorrow, and I just wanted to take a moment to - well, just to take the moment I suppose."

"Alright then," said Gladio, his voice a little cheeky. He put the gift down on the table to unwrap, carefully peeling the tape from the brown paper package. He laughed when he opened the box.

“You found a sweater in my size?”

“Don’t laugh!” Ignis chided, nudging Gladio lightly. “Feel it.” Gladio obliged, and when he did he let out a little gasp of delight.

“Holy astrals this is soft!”

“Put it on, I want to try something.”

“Oh? Okay, well, since you insist so politely.” Gladio shrugged out of the flannel he had on and pulled the sweater on over his head.

“There. Do what you will.” Without further ado, Ignis wrapped his hands around Gladio’s waist and hugged him tight, burying his face in the soft wool. Gladio laughed and wrapped his arms around Ignis’ shoulders, pulling him in tighter.

“I was wondering what that would feel like.” Ignis sighed happily. “Prompto told me it was a nice green colour, he better not have been lying.”

“It’s blue, actually.”

Ignis froze. Blue was fine, really but why would Prompto-

He snapped out of it when Gladio started laughing again.

“Not funny!”

“You gotta admit, it’s kinda funny.” Ignis boxed him in the arm again, his face heating up. “Really Igs,” said Gladio, “I love it. It’s nice and warm and not even itchy.”

“Mm, I can tell,” mumbled Ignis, his face still buried in Gladio’s chest. Gladio scoffed again, flopping backwards so he was resting on the arm of the couch with Ignis on top of him. The apartment was silent save the sound of the furnace as it kicked on to counteract the chill of the air outside. They lay without speaking, wine forgotten, Ignis rubbing his thumb back and forth idly across Gladio’s back. Gladio shifted, made a noise as if to speak, but cut himself off with a sigh. Ignis didn’t want to speak either, didn’t want to break the spell of comfort, of the warmth that flowed between them, of the shared rhythm of their breath.

And yet … how much longer could he leave things unsaid? Could he really let Gladio go again?

“What’s on your mind?” Ignis asked. Gladio sighed once more.

"I don't … really want to leave," Gladio admitted.

“You don’t have to.”

"I don't just mean not out into the snow."

"I know."

"I mean, having Iris around at home is nice, but, it always feels kinda …"

"Lonely?"

"Yeah. But … I don't feel like that around here. " Gladio squirmed a little. "Around you."

“Then stay,” said Ignis, tightening his hold around Gladio’s waist. Gladio grinned.

"You want a slumber party?"

"Are you serious, Gladio!"

"You want one so bad you put me in a nice comfy sweater and pinned me to the couch.”

“You’re the one who lay down!”

“A proper slumber party this time," Gladio went on. “We can share your big comfy bed and have actual homemade popcorn and booze in the hot cocoa.” Ignis chuckled.

"Mm, and in the morning?"

“I can wake you with a kiss and a hot cup of coffee. I'll make bacon and eggs for breakfast before everyone gets here."  
“Kiss me, eh? And how long have you thought about doing that?”

“Too long,” Gladio admitted.

“Well then, I have one condition.”

“Oh?”

“Kiss me now, instead.”

Gladio did so, without hesitation. Ignis felt calm, less as if things were happening, rushing toward a swelling, climactic conclusion, and more as if this were simply the place they were meant to be. As if they, along with the universe were just simply settling into place. The kiss was soft, maybe a little chaste, but in Gladio’s embrace, in his strong hands on Ignis’ waist, there was the promise of desire.

“So what do you think?” asked Gladio. “Slumber party?” 

“Do you even have to ask any more?”

“No, but I would like to be invited.” Ignis smiled.

“Well then, Gladiolus, I would very much prefer it if you stayed.”


End file.
